Windows 7 has slowed almost to stop even in safe mode

I was running Chrome with quite few tabs open (17-25) on an ASUS Laptop. And then everything just stopped responding. I tried restarting the pc and was stuck at the "welcome" part of logging on for 1h+ before shutting it off and starting i safemode. It actually logs in, but when i click start it takes 1-2 minutes for the start window to pop up and when i click on anything in there (in safe mode mind you) it takes 5-10 min before it opens control panel or anything else. I dont know whats wrong. The only other issue i have is sometimes my computer would glitch out while doing something with graphics and the sound would sound like bass from a techno song and everything would go all choppy on my screen for 1-3 seconds but then it would go away. I honestly have no idea what could be wrong. Any help, tips, or tricks that you guys could help me with would help immensely. I do not have the money to take the computer in to get repairs and i definately cant buy a new one. But i do require my computer and i am completely lost and looking for help.

A couple of things I would try;
Boot back into safemode and perform a "sfc /scannow". (Can be started from the "run" box of windows 7)To See and Read the SFC /SCANNOW Scan Results
Allow the computer to boot normally after the scan.

Perform a system & registry cleanup with CCleaner, download it here.
Perform a thorough defragmentation with a tool of your choice or the default Windows 7 defragger;
Open the Start Menu, then type dfrgui into the search line and press Enter.

DRIVE IMAGINGInvest a little time and energy in a well thought out BACKUP regimen and you will have minimal down time, and headache.

I was running Chrome with quite few tabs open (17-25) on an ASUS Laptop. And then everything just stopped responding. I tried restarting the pc and was stuck at the "welcome" part of logging on for 1h+ before shutting it off and starting i safemode. It actually logs in, but when i click start it takes 1-2 minutes for the start window to pop up and when i click on anything in there (in safe mode mind you) it takes 5-10 min before it opens control panel or anything else. I dont know whats wrong.

I'm running Firefox v16.0.1 and I'm having exactly the same symptoms. In my case, this problem seems to have started immediately after I had installed the latest MS Windows updates. I'm now thinking of uninstalling them.

The Following User Says Thank You to John259 For This Useful Post:

I would also do a complete cleanup of your PC. Delete temp files, temp internet files, etc. You can use an app such as CCleaner for this chore. See if this helps any.

John might have hit on a great idea. Perhaps a thorough physical cleaning would solve some problems. This could be a heat buildup because of contamination. You might find a lot of contamination inside the PC.

Have you tried to find out what is happening on your computer. Almost certainly you have a program running in the background which is taking up CPU cycles. open Task manager (Right click a blank space in the toolbar to do this), then select the Processes tab, click on the word CPU at the top of a column - may need to be clicked twice)

When you have it sorting most used first scroll to the top - if necessary. Then you will see what programs are running and what is taking the most cpu cycles. If the "Idle time" is not at the top most of the time then whatever is at the top most often is probably causing the problem. You may be able to disable it or remove it if it is malware.

This is just a start to identifying the problem. Sometimes you need to use something like Sysinternals process explorer to get more info on what is happening.

Let us know what results you get. A screen dump (alt PrtScn and paste into an image file, save, and attach to your response) might help to analyse your problem.

My two cents

Kaieil,

"The only other issue i have is sometimes my computer would glitch out while doing something with graphics and the sound would sound like bass from a techno song and everything would go all choppy on my screen for 1-3 seconds but then it would go away."

If you haven't already checked the Reliability Monitor, Start> in search box type: error > choose View Reliability History. The Reliability Monitor should launch and then you can see if there are any significant events.

gremlins

Ensure as mentioned above that your CPU is clean of dust. Overheating often causes the chip to go into a slower mode to try and still function. If this is a laptop, this may require disassembly to the point that you can access the backside of the heat sync after removing the fan. Once clean, you can prevent re-clog by monthly using a vacuum to back flush, before enough buildup happens to cause dust bunnies or other more ominous animal look-a-likes!

Another problem that could cause this is the SATA cable. Less likely in a laptop, but on a PC, the SATA cable which connects your hard drive to the system board could have dirty connections due to dust and vibration. Either replace the cable or at least disconnect both ends and then reconnect and test. If the problem changes or comes and goes, then replace. A faulty connection in the SATA cable does not throw any errors, everything just stops or slows way down due to inability to get data across this cable due to errors.

I have also seen Antivirus software act this way. If the above suggestions don't work, then consider uninstalling your antivirus software. You can always re-install it later if this is not the culprit. I have seen this happen many times and it does not necessarily consume resources that will show up in task manager.

If your internet connection has failed, it can seriously slow down your PC due to all the programs that connect and basically phone home. Many programs phone home and failure to succeed can cause significant delays.

Under Chrome's Settings tab, go to Advanced Setting, uncheck the "Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed", if it is checked. Being checked, it continues ALL of your background Chrome extensions, etc. after you leave Chrome.

Under Chrome's Settings tab, go to Advanced Setting, uncheck the "Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed", if it is checked. Being checked, it continues ALL of your background Chrome extensions, etc. after you leave Chrome.

I agree with rholmes about heat. I have recently sorted an 8 year old HP laptop that was running really slow after quarter of an hour from start. A clue is fans running continally at high speed. I ended up stripping it down (get hold of a manual if you can, as it is not always obvious how things come apart). There was dust in both fans and fluff in one of the fans.

When I got down to the fan and heatsink assembly, I found that it was glued to the CPU, by the dried out heatsink grease. In fact the CPU pulled out of the ZIF socket, and had to be levered off the heatsink. A cleaning and grease kit did the job - from the local electronics shop. The laptop is now running at a normal speed. Oh - and get a wrist grounding strap.

Isn't it highly annoying when the original poster doesn't make any replies?

You should always have a Linux boot disc to boot the system with (the PC's BIOS has to be set as the first boot device to boot from the CD/DVD drive).

I use Ubuntu from ubuntu.com. Download the ISO file and use burning software's burn an image option to burn it to a disc. I use CDBurnerXP that has a Burn ISO Image option. The disc is a boot disc that runs Ubuntu from the disc without installing it. I also use it to access banking websites.

If the PC runs from the boot disc, the problem is with Windows, not a hardware problem, which in your case it could be.

If the PC can run Linux you're in luck, its a software problem. If it can't, you have to discover what the hardware problem is.

This webpage provides information on the methods of installing, repairing and recovering Win7: